"Inter Faeces..." Quote

[Jonathan Lighter]

1913 Herbert Brook Workman _Evolution of the Monastic Ideal_ (London: C. H. Kelly) 39: [St. Augustine's] famous epigram, Inter faeces et urinam nascimur, could only have come from one who had developed an exaggerated doctrine of total depravity, which still, unfortunately, enslaves much theology.

  Unfortunately - or predictably - Workman does not cite his source in this otherwise carefully documented work. It was like, you know, everybody knows Augustine said it, so what's the deal?

  For an evidently authentic remark by Odo which is of the same ilk and which may lead you to the original, search for "sack of shit" in Google Books.

  JL

Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Charles Doyle
Subject: Re: "Inter Faeces..." Quote
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Gershon Legman attributed the aphorism to St. Odo of Cluny. For many years I have quested for its source (even in the electronic Migne Patrologia), with no success. Maybe I'm not searching with sufficiant skill or piety.

It sometimes appears in the form "Inter urinam et faeces nascimur."

Charlie
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007 12:49:16 -0500
>From: Fred Shapiro
>Subject: "Inter Faeces..." Quote
>
>Someone has asked me for the source of the saying "Inter faeces et urinam nascimur." I see that it is widely attributed to Augustine, but without a precise source. I would welcome any help on this.
>
>Fred Shapiro

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